Railroad-gate



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

G. F. OEHRL.

RAILROAD GATE.

No. 326,515. Patented Septff 1&5, 1885.

R WITNESSES .dfforncyj N PFTERS. Pholb'Jlhngmphur. .Vaihinglall, (1c.

'2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

G. F. OEHRL. RAILROAD GATE.

Patented Sept. 15, 1885;

EJV'TOR W4,

.xlttorne N. PETERS. Fholn-Luhugn iver. Waghmgkovl. u. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE F. OEHRL, OF SPEERS, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAILROAD-GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 326,515, datedSeptember 15, 1885.

Application filed April 14. 1885. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE F. OEHRL, a citizenof the United States, and a resident of Speers, in the county ofWashington and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Railroad-Gates; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings,which form a part of this specification, and in which Figure l is aperspective view of a section of a railroad-track equipped with myimproved gate. Fig. 2 is a top or plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is alongitudinal vertical sectional view taken on the line :0 x in Fig. 2.Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse sectional View taken on the line 3 y inFig. 3.

The same letters refer to the same parts in all the figures.

This invention relates to gates for railroadcrossings of that classwhich are operated automatically by passing trains; and it has for itsobject to provide a gate of this class which shall possess superioradvantages in point of simplicity, durability, and general efficiency.

With these ends in view the invention con sists in the improvedconstruction, arrangement, and combination of parts,which will behereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings hereto annexed, A designates a section ofrailroad-track, and B is a crossing,at the four corners of which areerected Vertical posts or uprights O O, which form the gate-posts, andat the upper ends of which are pivoted arms or levers E E of sufficientlength to reach nearly half across the crossing, and having short arms FF extending in the opposite direction, as shown.

Attached to the levers E E, at suitable intervals, are a series ofropes, GG, which are allowed to hang or depend loosely therefrom, andwhich form the gates. These ropes, it will be seen, do not actuallyobstruct the passage at the crossing, but are more in the nature of asignal for the purpose of warning passengers from crossing the track.They possess the advantage over obstructing gates, that in case a wagonshould be caught upon the track be tween the descending gates it mayreadily pass under the loose ropes, thereby avoiding danger. I would,however, have it understood that rigid gates of any suitableconstruction may be used in connection with my invention, wheneverdesired,without departing from the spirit of the invention.-

H H are a pair of shafts journaled in suitable bearings transverselyacross the track on each side of and at some distance from the crossing.The bearings I I of the said shafts are so arranged as to be capable ofa limited vertically-sliding motion,and they are mounted upon springs JJ for the purpose of resisting the sudden shocks to which they areexposed without danger of breakage. Mounted upon the said shafts aredrums K and spurwheels L.

M is a wire rope or cable running along the track between the shafts HH, and wound in opposite directions around the drums KK, as shown. intosuitable pits, N, formed under the shafts H, and are provided withweights O,by means of which the rope is kept taut.

P P are signal-posts arranged alongside the railroad-track near theshafts H H,which latter are intended to be some distance-say one milemore or 1essapart. Pivoted to the upper ends of the said posts are thesignal arms or levers Q Q, having short arms R,as shown, extending inthe opposite direction from the fulcrum.

The short arms F and R of the levers E and Q are connected by means ofwire ropes S, passing through suitably-arranged eyes or guides, with therope M in such a manner that when the said rope is drawn in thedirection indicated by an arrow all of the said arms shall besimultaneously lowered, while when it is drawn in the opposite directionthey shall be simultaneously raised. The same motion of the rope M maybe effected by means of a hand-lever, T, suitably arranged at some Theends of the said rope extend point near the crossing, when for anyreason herein illustrated from either end will op crate to close thegates and display the signals, warning other trains off from the samesection, while on leaving the section'they will also automatically openthe gates and remove the danger-signals. Thelatter operation may,

however, in case the train moves off on a siding, 'be performed by meansof the hand-lever. Other uses of the invention will readily suggestthemselves to those who are familiar with this class of devices.

- I would state that the several operatingropes and rods are to becovered by means of suitable casings or pipes; also, that in practice Ido not wish to confine myself to the precise construction andarrangement of parts herein shown, but reserve to myself the right toall such modifications as may be resorted to without departing from thespirit of myinvention.

lam aware that it is not new to construct railroad-gates in combinationwith signals, as such a construction is shown in Patents No. 235,755,issued December 21,1880, to Ely,and No. 294,192, issued February 26,1884,, to Wright and Aldrich, and I do not claim such construction,broadly; but I am not aware that such signals have ever been operated-bymeans of a cord, one end of which is secured to the signal and the otherend to the main operatingrope; therefore,

I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States-' 1.In a gate for railroad-crossings, the combination of the gate-posts, thelevers pivoted.

thereto, the signal-posts, thelevers pivoted to the latter, thetransverse shafts arranged near the signal-posts, the drums andspur-wheels mounted upon'the latter, the longitudinal operating-ropeswound in opposite directions upon the said drums and having weightsattached to the ends, and ropes connecting the main rope with the shortarms of the gate, and signal-levers, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

2. In a gate for railroad-crossings, constructed substantially as hereindescribed,the

hereindescribed operating-shafts provided with spur-wheels, and havingvertically-sliding bearings mounted upon springs, as described-andadapted to be operated by a rackbar on the under side of the locomotive,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereuntoaflixedmy signature in presence of two witnesses. v

GEORGE F. OEHRL.

\Vitnesses:

THOMAS R. EAGGE, OBADIAH P. QIIAY.

